Archives:
Cervical Myelopathy
What is Cervical Myelopathy? By definition, it is any functional change of the spinal cord. Usually, it is caused by pinching of the spinal cord by bone spurs, disk herniations, or a combination. In the above MRI, the red circle identifies changes in the spinal cord (see the different coloration) in a man with complaints […]
Are Restrictions Post Discectomy Necessary?
After lumbar disk surgery, there is a common misconception that all future activities must be restricted. More and more evidence indicates that the vast majority of post lumbar discectomy patients can and should be able to return back to all activities. Medical Science is a constant evolution of thoughts and processes. Thirty years ago, patients […]
Cervical Discectomy and Fusion Works
The results of Anterior Cervical Discectomy and Fusion are excellent. I find it strange that I must defend the results, but we are in a new era of information. Some would call it mis-information. If you spend time researching cervical discectomy surgery, you now see a trend where certain entities are advertising the radical nature of […]
Do I need a MRI?
That is a very common question asked by many of my patients. And, the answer is “It depends”. I know that is not very satisfying, but I will explain. MRI stands for Magnetic Resonance Imaging. There are very scientific and exacting descriptions of the study, but I will try to break it down into the […]
How Come my Doctor did not order an X-Ray?
That is a question often asked of me and my staff. The better question is “Why should you get an X-ray for back pain?” The answer to that question is “It depends.” I know. you want a better answer. But, there is a logic to the response. The most important determining factor on the need […]
Are you carrying an extra “backpack”?
Weight loss is a difficult thing to discuss. As a physician, I am always worried that somehow, the patient will be offended by this discussion. If I talk to some of my Primary Care colleagues, some have stopped bringing this topic up, as some patients have gotten upset enough to “fire” them, or even worse, […]
